Speak my language

One of the thrills of travelling to a different country is that everything is strange.

The people there might eat spicy curry for breakfast or ride around the streets on mopeds, with their family and a fridge on the back. They might ski with their dogs or drink hot coffee from a can. The toilet seat may be heated or perhaps you drop it onto the train tracks, through a hole in the carriage floor.

The buses may not stop at the bus stop, so you could be forced to jump from the bus, Rambo roll onto the footpath and then wet your pants with laughter as you watch your two mates hit the cement after you. The falafel you buy from the roadside stall could taste suspiciously like poo (or what you imagine poo tastes like) and then you could get so sick that you lose five kilos in a couple of days and have to hot foot it out of there.

Of all the challenges you might face in another country, communicating with people is the big one for me. I think, because it's not an isolated activity but is wrapped up in every single thing you attempt to do. A crummy toilet can be yucky, but you can forget about it after you've gone (sometimes you can't), whereas almost everything will necessitate some form of struggle to communicate, from ordering food, to catching the underwater puppet show and of course, picking up. NB Keep away from phrase book material for this last one. 'I have seen ten museums today, thank you.' is not going to get you a cocktail.

Also, keep in mind that you not only have to make yourself understood to the person you are speaking to but also understand what they are saying to you, otherwise you will end up on a bus to the tip, when all you wanted was a new hat.

The biggest drawback of not sharing a language is that it is hard to make a connection with other people, and that can make you feel very alone.

But there is hope! There is hope because communication is apparently not all about words!

So now you are thinking about the obvious alternative to words... yes, throwing your arms about and squawking like a chicken could get you a slice of roast pheasant roulade, but you'll look like an idiot and anyway, I'm talking about something a little more fundamental.

See that photo up there? That's the English speaking class at Kimberley Training Institute. These students are from Australia, Sardinia, Paris, Bali, Vietnam, Thailand and India. Together, with their most excellent teachers, Jane and Moira, we have been making video postcards.

The students worked really hard to translate their sentiments into English. However, it was through the honesty of their audio recordings, their choice of pictures and their enthusiasm, that I felt the connection with their stories. It was also through the morning tea and the multi cultural banquet I was invited to, where I pigged out. This outcome makes me happy because it means that there is a level that we all connect on, beyond the words that we use. I'm not sure where that is, but I think it has something to do with a willingness to share.

We have completed two video postcards so far. You can watch them HERE. More to come.

This is a little story about a trip on which I struggled with language, and the unlikely connection that came of it: HERE. Ever had an experience like this?

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Comments

Alex Smee

Just read your blog. Hilarious! I'm glad that man didn't have intestinal worms... for both your sakes! I will delve deeper into your stories now. Thanks for the link.

Gillian Kennedy

Hi Alex,
As i said the other night, such a great thing, ABC Open. And this post has reminded me of some of my own adventures in foreign lands. Here is a link to one of my little stories from a taxi in Dili...
http://www.thetimorchronicles.blogspot.com.au/2009/08/geez-its-small-world.html?m=1
Cheers,
Gillian